UK Sports Betting: 57% of Gamblers Bet on Football, 35% on Horse Racing and 12% on Tennis

The UK has the most advanced sports betting market in Europe, so it’s no secret that locals like betting on a wide range of sports. However, following a recent YouGov report, the Nostrabet.com team found that football, horse racing and tennis are the three most popular picks.

Football is the undisputed mass-market leader, and this will probably not surprise anyone. Interestingly, horse racing is next on the list, and this is a sport where the betting culture is more deeply embedded than in any other major British activity. Lastly, we have tennis, a sport with a smaller audience among bettors but an interesting profile.

Some of the most recent studies show that 57% of UK bettors wager on football, with horse racing at 35% and tennis at 12%. Each of these sports has a lot of advantages, so let’s explore why the situation is as it is.

Football Betting is the UK’s Mass-Market Leader

Football is the most popular sport in many parts of the world, and the UK is one of them. Based on the analysis from YouGov, nearly 57% of all gamblers have placed a bet on it over the past year. This puts it in a league of its own compared to the other two options.

Other studies from the UK show that around 6% of all GB adults have placed a live bet on the sport in the previous 4 weeks. For comparison, horse racing came close to 4.4%, while tennis came third with 0.4%.

Considering football’s popularity among bettors, its financial lead is even more striking. The data from the Gambling Commission for last year shows that remote betting GGY was close to £2.6B. Football alone accounted for £1.3B, while horse racing was next at £766.7M.

Aside from the sport’s popularity, football gets tons of attention because of its betting opportunities. British sports bettors can wager on competitions taking place all over the world. This means that there is always something going on, and this makes it more appealing for most bettors.

A further analysis of football betting shows that 32% of all football bettors are between 18 and 34 years old. For comparison, 52% of those who like to bet on tennis fall into this section. YouGov also classified 29% of all football bettors as high income, and 77% of all football bettors are men.

Horse Racing Betting Retains a Unique Position in Britain

Football betting represents scale, but it’s safe to say that horse racing represents tradition. This is among the oldest and most respected sports in Britain, so we were not surprised to find that 35% of all UK gamblers placed a bet on it in the last 12 months.

Further research from the Gambling Commission shows that remote horse-racing turnover was around £7.88B in 2024/25. It produced the staggering £766.8M in GGY, and this place is behind football.

Even though horse racing does not have the same audience as football, it remains popular. The sport has historically been structured around wagering in a way that the other sports haven ot. All of the major horse racing events attract loads of casual fans and racing followers who are curious to see who’s going to win.

Although betting on horse racing has largely gone digital, the sport still has a solid physical betting infrastructure. With around 5000 betting shops operating in the country, there are people who like going to these places to place their bets.

Another interesting fact concerns the horse racing betting demographics. Based on the stats, only 16% of them fall into the 18-34 age group. Furthermore, only 33% of all horse racing bettors are women. 25% of people who invest in this sport fall into the high-income group. This places horse racing last after football, with 29% and tennis with 39%.

Despite horse racing’s popularity, the stats show that the total betting turnover for British racing in 2025 was lower than in 2024 and 2023. The sport already has an established betting audience, but it seems like it’s struggling to gain new fans.

Tennis Betting is Small, but Its Audience Stands Out

Tennis is the third most popular sport among online bettors in the UK, with only 12% of gamblers wagering on it. An interesting fact is that the percentage is higher among online bettors – 16%.

Despite the lower percentage compared to football and horse racing, more than half of the people who wager on tennis are between 18 and 34 years of age. Another intriguing fact is that the audience is heavily male. 74% of tennis bettors identify as men, which is close to football’s stats (77%).

Where tennis becomes particularly distinctive is in income. Based on the stats from YouGov, 39% of all tennis bettors are in the high-income category. This puts it ahead of the other two, and the spending data reinforces the difference.

It seems that around 14% of tennis bettors said that they have spent more than £500 on gambling. For comparison, only 5.7% of football and 5.4% of horse racing fans gave the same answer.

Continuing with the interesting stats, 28% of tennis bettors say that their monthly gambling expenditure is between £101 and £500. 58% have said they’ve spent less than £100, which is much lower than for tennis and horse racing. The stats for these two show that four out of five people fall into this category.

Remote tennis betting was responsible for around £1.16B in turnover and £82.9M in GGY for last year. Although considerably below those for football and horse racing, the numbers are still solid.

Tennis Betting is Particularly Digital

A deeper dive into the tennis betting scene shows that some platforms are much more popular. Around 50% of all tennis bettors in the UK end up with bet365, which is probably not surprising, given its popularity. The website has been around for ages and has proven itself to have good odds and many different bonuses.

Sky Bet is next on the list at 38%, followed by Betway at 29% and William Hill at 28%. Betway is an interesting example because only 13% of football bettors and 8% of horse racing fans are using it. 888 is also in a similar position, as 17% of tennis bettors rely on it, compared with only 7% of football and 6% of horse racing fans.

So, Why Football and Horse Betting are More Popular than Tennis For Betting

The stats are clear – football and horse racing are more popular than tennis by a long shot. Starting with football, this sport combines an enormous mainstream reach with an almost continuous fixture calendar. It’s easy to understand, and betting operators will often provide many more options.

Horse racing has a different advantage over tennis. This is the sport where betting has been a part of its culture and economics for generations. Events like the big festivals can attract wagers from people who may not otherwise follow racing regularly.

Tennis is in a weird position between these two models. On the one hand, it has globally recognized stars and major events. However, many of these competitions are not that popular among British fans. Wimbledon is huge because it’s held in the country, but that’s pretty much it.

In fact, a YouGov study shows that 24% of British gamblers will dedicate time to following Wimbledon. This means that people are indeed interested in the sport, even if fewer actually wager on it.

Online Betting Has Reshaped All Three Sports

If there is one thing that combines all three sports, it has to be the audience. According to the Gambling Commission’s 2025 survey, 38% of adults in the UK took part in some form of online gambling in the last 4 weeks. Only 28% of people did that in person, so the stats are clear.

An interesting fact is that horse racing, football and tennis generated around £2.19B in combined remote GGY. This accounts for 83% of the total remote betting GGY for the year, and it shows that Britain’s online sports betting economy is based around a small number of established sports.

Keep in mind that you should not confuse the turnover and gross gambling yield. Turnover is the amount of money occurring from sales of an operator’s gambling products before winnings and expenses. The Gross Gaming Yield (GGY) is the amount operators receive from stakes and other income, minus the prizes or winnings paid out.

Both of these figures are important when analyzing the market. The turnover reflects the volume of betting activity, whereas the GGY indicates the value generated by licensed operators.

Closing Thoughts

The numbers shown in this analysis leave little doubt about the hierarchy of UK sports betting. Football is in the driving seat, leading in reach, turnover, and GGY. Horse racing remains a close second, whereas tennis represents a smaller audience.

Outside these sports, many UK bettors are becoming increasingly interested in esports, MMA and even cricket. That’s why you shouldn’t be surprised to find all these options when using your new online bookie.